Machine for sanding brick-molds



(No Model.)

D. RALSTON.

MACHINE FOR SANDING BRICK News. No. 271,984. Patented Feb. 6,1883

WITNESSES [J 'INVENTOR W; a I Jdzrial zzazstm By his flttorney v v i 6MCL. @W, In! f N. PUERYS Phutolilhognphar. Washing!!! D. C.

Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DAVID RALSTON, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR SANDING BRlCK-M OLDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,984, dated February6, 1883, Application filed December 8, 1882. No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID RALs'roN, of Troy, county of RensselaenStateotNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MachinesorSandmgBrick-Molds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that kind of machinery for sanding brick-moldswhich contains asits principal element a rotary sand-containing drumformed with openings, to which the molds are applied, and combined withmeans for holding the molds in place thereon in such manner as to permitthe molds as they are sanded to be successively removed from the drumand replaced by fresh ones without interfering with the continuousrotation of the drum; and it consists, first, in a novel combination andarrangement of means for bolding the molds in place on the drum duringthe time required for the sanding operation; and, secondly, in thecombination, with the drum and molds, of an instrumentality, termed byme a knocker, automatically operating at proper intervals during therotary movement of the drum to strike the sanded molds in such manner asto jar and shake from them any surplus sand which may remain in themafter the sanding operation.

The nature of my improvements and the manner in which the same are ormaybe carried into eflect will be readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an end elevation of so muchof asanding-machine embodying my improvements as needed for the purposeof explanation, a portion of the concave bed under the drum being insection, so as to disclose one of thefrictionrollersanditsspring-bearing. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same with oneside of the roller-bed in section and some of the rollers broken away.

In the drawings, A represents the frame of the machine.

Bis the sand-containing drum, fixed on a power-driven rotating shaft oraxle, O, which has its hearings in A. The sand-containing drum inpractice is made polygonal in crosssection, its body being made of metalplates, indicated by dotted lines, properly stifl'ened, braced, andriveted together.

The heads of the drum may or may not be entirely closed, as desired. Inthe drawings, they are represented as partly open, as seen more plainlyin Fig, 1, where are shown the spider-arms b, which form the internalsupports of the drum. In order, however, to better adapt the drum foruse with the mold-holding devices, hereinafter described, it has anexternal sheath or casing, B, of cylindrcal form, which extendscompletely around the metal body of the drum, save at the points wherethe mold-receiving openings 0 are formed in the periphery of the drum.The molds D fit into these openings, being placed therein bottomoutward, and supported upon proper flanges and between proper guidesbounding the openings. The drum shown in the drawings is adapted toreceive four molds; but it may of course be made so as to receive agreater ora less number, as desired.

The drum, being first filled with a proper quantity of sand, is causedto revolve in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. The molds,

which cove'r'the openings, are, as they successively descend, filledwith sand, which is emptied from them as they rise. An attendantstanding at the right of the machine removes the successive molds asthey pass the knocker (to be hereinafter described) and anotherattendant on the left ofthe machine applies molds to theopenings in thedrum as the latter come around. The molds during the time they are belowthe horizontal center of drum are held in place by an elastic bedcomposed of a series of friction-rollers, E, (which rollers, if desired,may be of a length equal to that of the molds,) which are set inaconcave bed, F, curved in a circle, of which the axis of the drum isthe center and are pressed toward the periphery of the drum by springsd, which are interposed and confined between the bases ot' theroller-bearings e and the bottom of the socket F, in which said bearingstit and can slide. In this way the molds, as they pass around below thehorizontal center of the drum, are held in place by the yieldingpressure ofthe elastic roller-bed, while the moment they pass beyond thelatter they are free to be, removed from the drum-openings. Itisin thisarrangement for holding the molds in place while they are being sandedthat the first part of my invention is comprised. The molds, as theyrise, are apt to contain an excess of sand, which may remain in themunless some means be employed to remove it. To this end I combine withthe drum a knocker, so called, which during the revolution of the drumoperates at the proper time tostrike or jar each sanded moldsuffieiently to shake from it the surplus sand. The mechanism foraccomplishing this result may be widely varied, and can be constructedand arranged to operate in many different ways without departure from myinvention, and therefore I do not wish to be understood as restrictingmyself to the special mechanism which I am about to describe, although Ibelieve the latter to be, on the whole, the simplest and most effectiveembodiment of this part of my invention.

The knocker shown in the drawings consists of a knob or head, G, on thefree'extremity of a spring strip or arm, H, which is securely fastenedto a post or upright, I, forming part of the frame A. The arm II isplaced at one end of the drum, and in such position that theknocker-head G will lie in the path of a sucjcessiou of cam-rises, J,somewhat resembling ratchet-teeth, formed on the adjoining end of thedrum. Each cam-rise terminates abruptly at such a point that the head G,as it drops from it, will bring up against and strike the end or somepart of the mold, which immediately follows, thus shaking the sand fromthe latter. It is not necessary that the knocker should deliver aforcible blow, nor is it intended that the set of its spring-armshouldtbe such as to cause the knocker to drag along against the moldafter striking it. The spring, being forced outwardly by thecam-rise,'naturally recoils nearly an equal distance in the oppositedirection, and it is at this time that the blow is delivered; Thus eachsanded mold, as it rises, is at the proper point tapped by the knocker,with the result of relieving it of surplus sand, after which it'isremoved by the attendant, and the opening in the drum thus uncovered isclosed by another mold applied by the other attendant on the oppositeside of the machine.

The spring-arm H can be of metal, if desired; but it can be made just aswell of hickory or other suitable wood possessing the requisiteresiliency.

In conclusion, 1 state that I do not claim broadly the application ofrollers or a rollerbed to the rotary sandingdrum for the purpose ofholding the moldsin place thereon. My

claim in this direction is confined to rollers or a roller-bed having anelasticor spring action, so as to bear with yielding pressure againstthe molds.

Having now described-my improvements, what I claim as new and of myinvention is- 1. The combination of the rotary sandingdrum formed withmold-receiving openings, the removable molds, and the mold-holdingelastic roller-bed, substantially as and for the puposes hereinbeforeset forth. a

2. The combination, with a rotary sandingdru'm provided withmold-receiving openings, as'described, of a series of rollers carried bythe frame of the machine, extending around the drum below its axis andadapted to bear with spring or yielding pressureagainst the molds placedover the openings in said drum, substantially as hereinbet'ore setforth.

3. The combination of the rotary sandingdrum provided withmold-receiving openings, and a knoeker arranged and operating during themovement of the drum to strike or shake the successive molds carried bythe drum after they are sanded, substantially as and for the purposehereinbefore set forth. I

4:. The combination, with a sanding-drum provided with a series ofcam-rises alternating with mold-receiving openings, of aspring-controlled knocker, substantially as hereinbefore set forth. v

5. The combination, with a mold-receiving sanding-drum revolving on ahorizontal axis,

of mold holding and retaining instrumentalities extending below the axisof the drum, and a knocker placed above the axis of the drum,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set-my hand this 23d day ofNovember, 1882.

J. WALTER BLANDFORD, EwELL A. DIoK.

